PM unhappy over govt health services in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, expressing dissatisfaction over the state of government facilities, on Monday ordered to provide quality health services to the dwellers of Islamabad and its adjoining areas.

This was stated by Secretary to the Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad while chairing a meeting at the PM House. The meeting reviewed the availability and quality of government health services and to formulate immediate interventions to improve the coverage and quality.

It was decided that the CDA shall convert its dispensaries located in I-10 and G-9 into fully staffed and functional mother and child hospitals (MCHs) with at least one paediatrician and one gynaecologist. A MCH will also be established in F-11.

RHCs and BHUs in Sihala, Bara Kahu, Shah Allah Ditta and Tarlai would also be converted into MCHs and attached with the PIMS. The remaining BHUs and RHCs would be attached with the Polyclinic, the meeting decided.

Furthermore, PIMS will provide missing facilities at BHUs and RHCs in addition to arranging medical specialists in MCHs.

Polyclinic will arrange for medical specialists to examine patients on special arrangements in MCHs, while the Federal Government Hospital, Chak Shahzad, under the Cabinet Division will also be properly operationalised and upgraded. The meeting agreed to ensure that there is at least one MCH in each sector of Islamabad.

The meeting decided that initially, the four-tier service structure introduced by the Punjab government would be adopted for doctors.The meeting was informed that doctors will be hired on contract basis besides creating additional posts where needed.

The system for biometrics verification and maintenance of record at BHUs, RHCs and MCHs will be provided by Nadra.It was decided to construct specialty blocks at PIMS which will include a 50-bed burn centre, an improved mother and child centre, a new 200-bed gynaecology centre, a new trauma centre on the model of Punjab, a new OPD of 150 consulting rooms (catering for 3,000 consultations), 200-bed children’s hospital with a 50-bed central ICU and a new operation theatres complex.

It was also decided to approve funds for provision of 20 machines for dialysis centre which will be operationalised within two weeks.A grant of Rs 35 million was approved during the meeting to upgrade 17 dispensaries of Polyclinic besides one CT scanner and one MRI machine.The meeting also decided to fast-track the construction of 1,200-bed hospital announced by the prime minister earlier this year.